The Green Pages at Garden.org

Fritz Bahr's Commercial Floriculture is a fascinating look at how the floriculture industry worked in the early parts of the Twentieth Century. Published in 1922, it strove to help florists improve their business, especially during periods when cut flower sales were not a high priority for consumers.
Bahr spends time talking about trends in the business, the best kinds of equipment to have and the practical side of greenhouse management. He then takes things a step further when he begins recommending branching out into other aspects of the horticulture trade.

Bahr was a practical businessman, giving practical advice, but he also had a passionate side. In the introduction he is careful to point out that, "To be gardeners, to enjoy and appreciate the chance to work among living plants, should help make us better men, with a higher conception of our responsibilities and duties in life, a keener realization of life itself, a greater consideration for the rights of all our fellow men, and a deeper sense of gratefulness."

He also had a whimsical side... recommending plants that will either amuse or horrify contemporary gardeners and professionals.
He recommends the Castor Bean to florists because, "...it is highly ornamental for the filling of large beds or for sub-tropical plantings."
He suggests growing Hostas, "...for which the country florist in particular will find plenty of use."
He advocates growing Japanese Maples in pots because, "... these Maples make most showy pot plants in early spring. They are, therefore, desirable decorative material for the retailer."
My personal favorite, however, is his comment about Kudzu Vine. He says, "... easily grown from seed sown inside in March. This will give strong 3.5 inch pot plants by the middle of May, which if planted out, will make fifteen feet of growth or more the first season."
This is a fun and educational book to explore.

I wanted both Peonies and Daylilies, since they dig daylilies fresh I could order in the fall and get both. The peony roots are huge with 7 eyes each (Usually 3-5), but at about 1/2 the price of some other places. The daylilies are fresh and big and a lovely selection. It was nice to have shipping combined for both things.

5 star experience and product! I am a beginner gardener and found McKay's website easy to navigate and informative. I find buying online sort of intimidating, but they even offer a one year guarantee on their plants! They had helpful pictures showcasing their products. My plants arrived bigger and better than what the pictures described and the packaging was extremely secure! I will definitely be ordering from them again!

I've shopped with them once and almost certainly will order again. They delivered a pair of uncommon peony roots that were of excellent size and substance and they were very timely in shipping well packaged roots.

Just found this company a little over a week ago and I'm already impressed. First they were under the threat of evacuation due to wildfires and my order was shipped 2 days after i placed it. Second - they had seeds!!!! Most of the other big companies i usually order from are out of about everything. Victory had everything i was looking for and then some. I found them by searching for cowpeas. Not only did they have them but they had more varieties than i had seen in any other seed company. I am excited for next spring now after being worried i wouldn't find seeds for spring. Totally inpressed by my first encounter.

Some really unique seeds! Lots of flowers and veggies. The package have very little info, so you need to know how to grow or look it up. Many are bred by the owners so you get something you won't get elsewhere. Some are NW specific and some general, all organic.

This was started by a woman who wanted to raise grains on a small scale and staples. Some really wonderful seeds to try and many of them a multi-purpose. Some unique beans and a must for NW gardeners to look at. It is small, but works well.

In the winter of 2018 I ordered three bulbs of "white miniature amaryllis" off Amazon, sold by BloomingBulb. I just ordered them because they were so cheap I thought I couldn't lose. They turned out to be very pretty white doubles, probably Alfresco (this is the variety they sell on their company website). They bloomed well that year, and also performed well again the next year.

I've ordered a bunch more bulbs from them this year, this time directly from their website. If these new bulbs perform as well as those have, at such low prices, I'll be a very happy camper!

Gold City Flower Garden's was quick to deliver peony roots (12 September delivery for me) and the roots were huge - one had 12 eyes and other other had 9 eyes. And to top it off, they gave me another peony root as a gift. I am very pleased with my first transaction with them and will give them more business.

Peony (Paeonia lactiflora 'Pink Giant')
Posted by Topdecker

I have been a life-long gardener, starting as a kid weeding the family vegetable garden as one of my chores. As I got older I started scaling back the garden due to a lack of time and a bad back that would act up every time I weeded. I was down to 2 patio pots filled with cherry tomatoes when I heard about a solar-powered weeding robot called Tertill. I got one and dug in a 10 x 20 garden and filled it with all my favorites - giant beefsteak tomatoes, green peppers, eggplant, herbs, zucchini, and spaghetti squash. I didn't have to weed all summer! This cute little green robot took care of it for me. It was easy to set up, I just put it in the garden and pressed the button. I love my Tertill!

I have made one purchase so far from Oak Hill and my experience prompts me to recommend them.

They had experienced a long period of exceptionally trying weather conditions for most of the spring. It made me wonder if I would be able to receive plants from them at all this spring, let alone plants in good condition. Yet they managed to get plants to me in a reasonable time in late spring, and the plants were in excellent condition. I was impressed.

Communication with Bonnie before, during and after my order has been excellent. She seems to be a genuinely nice and caring person, and is someone enjoyable to do business with.

Oak Hill's selection of daylilies is large and varied, including dips, tets, older cultivars and newer ones.

I definitely recommend them.